The Real Tennessee Williams

The real Tennessee Williams
DAVID STEINBERG
Saturday, November 1, 1997
IN 1979, Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams was honored by the John F. Kennedy Center for
the Performing Arts. Lyle Leverich of San Francisco went to the ceremonies in Washington, D.C.,
as the playwright's special guest. Afterward, Williams' brother Dakin proclaimed, "I'm going to
write your official biography."
"O.K.," Williams said, "but Lyle is my authorized biographer." Williams read and liked what
Leverich had written about his role in the theater. Then, to Leverich, "Go ahead and do it, baby."
"It took me 12 years to research and write it," 77-year-old Leverich said last week at ACT's
headquarters on Grant Avenue. Leverich's bio, "Tom, the Unknown Tennessee Williams,"
published by Crown in 1995, has been republished in paperback by W.W. Norton.
"Now I'm working on the second part," Leverich said. When he re-quoted Williams' words,
including "Go ahead and do it, baby," Leverich's voice rose and he smiled. His eyes brightened
through his rimless glasses. Round-faced, balding, obviously comfortable in a wrinkled plain
jacket, Leverich explained in an anecdote-filled ramble why he titled the bio, "Tom, the Unknown
Tennessee Williams."
"He wasn't the way he was reported to be and usually presented himself to be," Leverich said. "He
wanted to make good copy for himself and his plays. To get publicity, he said and did things to get
ink in the papers.
"I found him the opposite of the way he was reported. He was prompt. Always professional,
always on time. He reacted. Treat him respectfully, and he treated you respectfully.
"You could always feel his eyes burning through you. He worked hard. Always writing, rewriting
on his portable typewriter that he carried everywhere." They met here when Leverich ran the 99seat Showcase, now known as the Cable Car Theater. From mutual friends, Leverich heard
Williams had written "The Two-Character Play," and wrote to Williams, asking to produce it.
"He said to me, once, "I'm always interested in what my audiences think.' And I told him I was
sure the local critics would review the play," Leverich said. He went on to tell more anecdotes
involving theater personalities and events that I'm old enough to remember. The anecdotes
culminated, somehow, into Leverich staging "The Two-Character Play" in 1976. Leverich also
staged "The Glass Menagerie" here.
All this happened after "The Glass Menagerie" opened on Broadway on Dec. 3, 1947, and changed
the style of American drama. The play made Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando) and Blanche
DuBois (Jessica Tandy) - later Vivien Leigh in the movie version - unforgettable characters.
Leverich urged Carey Perloff, artistic director of ACT, to produce "Streetcar" to celebrate the 50th
anniversary of the play that has become an American classic.
On Monday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. at the Geary Theater, Leverich, director David Schweitzer and Paul
Robinson, Professor of Humanities at Stanford, will discuss "Streetcar 50 Years Later."
"It's wrong to call ACT's production a revival," Leverich said. "It's not a reproduction. It's a new
production. It's original, with a new perspective." I told Leverich I've always been dissatisfied with
the ending. Having Blanche taken away seems like a cop-out, almost a soap opera-ish solution.
"Tennessee originally wanted to end it the next morning," Leverich revealed, "by having Blanche
and Stanley go off on the streetcar named Desire, leaving Stella behind. "That ending might be
more acceptable today," Leverich said. "And Williams probably would have used dialogue that is
more acceptable today. He was realistic as well as poetic."
When people asked him what happened to Blanche, Williams said, "I don't know."
"He worked hard on the ending. Wrote and rewrote," Leverich said. "But, then, Tennessee was
always working hard."
Points For Consideration

1. What does Leverich say Williams did for the purpose of publicity?
2. How does Leverich describe Williams?
3. According to the author of the article, David Steinberg, what impact did
the opening of Williams The Glass Menagerie have on Broadway?
4. Consider Leverichs comment Williams probably would have used
dialogue that is more acceptable today. He was realistic as well as
poetic. What can we assume/predict about the style of dialogue adopted
by Williams for the play?
5. Do you get the impression that Williams was completely satisfied with
the story, in particular the ending?

The Real Tennessee Williams

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Real Tennessee Williams

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Real Tennessee Williams

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The real Tennessee Williams

Points For Consideration

You might also like